Carolina's Dave Canales Comments On Colorado's Travis Hunter Prove His 2-Way Potential

Former Colorado Buffaloes cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter is set to make his NFL debut for the Jacksonville Jaguars in their Week one matchup with the Carolina Panthers.

It remains an unknown if Hunter will play both offense and defense like he did with Colorado.

Panthers Coaching Staff “Doesn’t Know” How Jaguars Will Use Hunter

Travis Hunter Jacksonville Jaguars Carolina Panthers Dave Canales NFL Rookie Debut Receiver Cornerback Colorado Buffaloes — Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales watches from the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers have no idea how the Jaguars will be using Travis Hunter against the. Carolina coach Dave Canales spoke to reporters in the week’s lead up and admitted this.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do with him,” Canales said. “I don’t know how they’re going to use him in different way; as a traditional wide receiver, is there going to be gadgets that come out of that? Defensively as well, playing is he just going to play corner spot? Is he going to return punts?”

Hunter was selected No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Jaguars. He saw very limited preseason action. In his first game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, he played both offense and defense; with about 10 for each. Hunter finished with two catches for nine yards.

A two-way star is something the NFL has not seen in the modern era. Hunter has a chance to be one.

The Jaguars are coming off of a season where they went 4-13, missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They fired coach Doug Pederson in the offseason and hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as coach.

Coen was with the Buccaneers for just one season, but it was quarterback Baker Mayfield’s best as a quarterback in the NFL. Coen and the Jaguars hope he can do the same with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and get Jacksonville back in the playoffs.

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Travis Hunter’s Run At Colorado

In college with the Colorado Buffaloes in 2023 and 2024, Travis Hunter became must-watch TV. Hunter could do it all and was the Buffaloes best weapon on offense while being a lockdown defensive back on defense.

Hunter’s best season was in 2024. He won the Heisman Trophy for his elite two-way skillset. On offense as a wide receiver, Hunter had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award for being the best wide receiver in all of college football.

Meanwhile on the other side of the ball, Hunter had 11 passes defended, four interceptions, 36 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble as a cornerback. He won the Chad Badnarik Award for being the most outstanding defensive player in college football.

Hunter was a massive part of the Buffaloes turn around from 1-11 in 2022 to 9-4 in 2024. Can he help turn around the Jaguars as well?